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How Swede it is for Reichel and Cave

The third edition of IRONMAN Sweden Kalmar featured dominating performances by Horst Reichel and IRONMAN world champion Leanda Cave.

by Angela Pribernig

The race started with perfectly calm water, no wind and
blue sky and a shoreline lined with spectators as 2,089 athletes entered the
waters of the Baltic Sea. Kalmar, known for its festival-like spirit
on the bike and run courses with upwards of 50,000
spectators on hand.

“This is definitely comparable, if not better to, Kona crowds. They are
out everywhere,” said Leanda Cave after her win.

Reichel brings home first title

The swim was led by Britain's Oliver Simon, who came out of
the water first in 49:22. Horst Reichel was close behind, coming out of the water in 49:24. Reichel overtook Simon with his fast transition and proceeded
to power away from his competition. Reichel was solid on two wheels until the
winds picked up from the seaside and made the cycling challenging. “The wind
was pretty tough for the legs, but I kept the pace and held the lead,” said
Reichel.

Reichel was first on to the run course with Tom Lowe and the
fleet footed Viktor Zyemtsev in hot pursuit. Reichel knew he had to keep his
pace on the marathon and hung on to
capture his first IRONMAN title in 8:13:01, followed by Viktor Zyemtsev in
8:19:17 and Tom Lowe in 8:19:23.

For Reichel, IRONMAN Sweden was dream come true. “When I saw
the start list I knew that I needed a gap on the bike. But it wasn't planned to
lead it from the transition to the end. That was brutal.”

Cave’s signed sealed and delivered performance

Leanda Cave (GBR) led from race start to finish line, using the race-best swim, bike and run times
(Swim 40:39, Bike: 4:57:21, Run: 3:05:26). “I wanted to have a solid day
and put a stamp on this race,” she said.

Cave held a 30 minute lead on Camilla Lindholm (SWE) and
Erika Csomor (HUN) as she started the marathon. “This was no walk in the park,
it was a tough day. I had to fight through some fatigue from last weekend.
But I like tough conditions, so I am not complaining,” said Cave, reflecting on her
sub-nine hour performance.

Erika Csomor (9:30:04) was second, with Sweden’s Camilla Lindholm finishing off the podium in 9:31:38.